A Brief History of The Solent Forts

23rd November 2018

A Brief History of The Solent Forts

One of the main questions we get asked at Solent Forts is, of course, how did these two large forts in the middle of the sea come to be built? They certainly didn’t always look like they do today! Get to know the incredible forts before they were luxury hotels with this brief history…

The birth of the forts

The forts were dreamed up as part of the 1859 Royal Commission, when fear of invasion by Napoleon III led British Prime Minister Lord Henry Palmerston to commission sea-based defences to defend the Portsmouth dockyard. There were to be 5 forts in total with 15ft granite walls and armour plating. All resources had to be transported from the quarry by train and then by barge before being secured in place by divers. It certainly wasn’t easy!

World War One

In World War One the forts became even stronger defences as heavy guns were installed, allowing them to target small fleets of ships trying to slip through the defences of the Isle of Wight. Using the lighthouses, No Man’s Land Fort and Horse Sand Fort became navy signalling stations. After the First World War, the forts were abandoned until the Second World War.

World War Two

During World War Two, the forts were inhabited again to defend the Portsmouth dockyard. The men chosen to serve on the forts, however, were chosen on their inability to swim so that they could not abandon their post and would have struggled with the forts’ difficult location and problems such as dark, damp and incredibly basic facilities. The forts took a lot of damage and gunfire during attacks and were completely decommissioned from military service after the war.

Post War Life

In 1963 the forts were put up for sale, though not bought until the 1980s. Spitbank Fort was restored into a museum and in 2009 work began on transforming the first Solent Forts into luxury hotels, opened in 2012. In the same year, Horse Sand and No Man’s Land forts were bought, one converted into a living museum and the other into the grand luxury hotel and events venue that stands in the waters of Solent today.

THEN

NOW

Despite the long history, multiple attacks, damage, abandonment and neglect, the forts feel as alive and as incredible as ever, providing people from near and far with a truly unique luxury experience! See them for yourself by booking a Fort Discovery Day experience!